Bathing installation user interface panel with large active display area

ABSTRACT

An exemplary embodiment of a user interface display panel includes a top or cover glass layer which extends to the perimeter of the panel housing. A touch-sensitive display layer is adhered to the bottom surface of cover glass layer to form a touch sensitive display assembly and is just smaller in area than that of the cover glass layer to provide a peripheral lip region for adherence to a waterproof gasket to bond the cover glass and display layer to the housing structure. The display layer is supported above the surface of the tub wall. The arrangement results in an active touch-sensitive display area significantly larger than display areas provided in the past by interface panels.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of and claims priority toU.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/086,372, filed Oct. 31, 2020, theentire contents of which are incorporated herein by this reference.

BACKGROUND

This invention relates to touch screen user interface panels and, moreparticularity, to user interface display panels used in spas andwhirlpool baths

Known types of user interface panels include relatively smaller displayactive areas in relation to the area of the plastic support region. Agoal of the invention is to provide a relatively large active displayarea while reducing the size of non-active area of the panel.

U.S. Pat. No. 9,069,201 describes one known type of user interfacepanel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features and advantages of the disclosure will readily be appreciated bypersons skilled in the art from the following detailed description whenread in conjunction with the drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of a userinterface panel in accordance with aspects of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the interface panel of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a front plan view of the interface panel of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 4 is a cutaway view of the interface panel of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 5 is a top isometric exploded view of the interface panel of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a bottom isometric exploded view of the interface panel ofFIG. 1 .

FIG. 7 is a bottom isometric view as in FIG. 6 , with the glass-displayassembly affixed to the housing.

FIG. 8 is a bottom isometric view as in FIG. 7 , with an adhesive gasketadhered to the housing to secure the housing to the shell wall of thebathing installation.

FIG. 9 is a bottom isometric view as in FIG. 8 , with the sealant plugin place to seal the slot opening through which the ribbon cable fromthe touch-sensitive display is passed.

FIG. 10 is a bottom isometric view of the fully assembled interfacepanel.

FIG. 11 is a cutaway view of an alternate embodiment of a user interfacepanel.

FIG. 12A is an isometric top view of a housing structure for analternate embodiment of a user interface panel. FIG. 12B is a top viewof the housing structure. FIG. 12C is a bottom isometric view of thehousing structure. FIG. 12D is a bottom view of the housing structure.

FIG. 13A is a top view of an alternate embodiment of a user interfacepanel using the housing structure of FIGS. 12A-12D. FIG. 13B is asimplified diagrammatic cross-sectional view taken along line 13B-13B ofFIG. 13A, before sealant has been dispensed into the panel. FIG. 13C isa top view similar to FIG. 13A, with shading and arrows to show thelarge active region 70′-1 of the display assembly of the panel.

FIG. 14A is a top view of an alternate embodiment of a user interfacepanel using the housing structure of FIGS. 12A-12D. FIG. 14B is asimplified diagrammatic cross-sectional view taken along line 14B-14B ofFIG. 14A, with cross-hatching showing the sealant after being dispensedinto the panel.

FIG. 15 is view taken from the bottom of the panel embodiment of FIG.13A, showing the printed wiring board assembly prior to sealantdispensing.

FIG. 16A is a top view of the user interface panel of FIG. 13A. FIG. 16Bis a cross-sectional view taken along line 16B-16B of FIG. 16A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description and in the several figures of thedrawing, like elements are identified with like reference numerals. Thefigures are not to scale, and relative feature sizes may be exaggeratedfor illustrative purposes.

In accordance with aspects of the invention, in an exemplary embodimentof a user interface display panel, a top or cover glass layer extends tothe perimeter of the panel housing. A touch-sensitive display layer isadhered to the bottom surface of cover glass layer to form a touchsensitive display assembly and is just smaller in area than that of thecover glass layer to provide a peripheral lip region for adherence to awaterproof gasket to bond the cover glass and display layer to thehousing structure. The display layer is supported above the surface ofthe tub wall. The arrangement results in an active touch-sensitivedisplay area significantly larger than display areas provided in thepast by interface panels.

An exemplary embodiment of an interface panel 50 is illustrated in FIGS.1-10 . The panel 50 includes a cover glass and touch-sensitive displayassembly 70, a housing structure 60, a gasket 80 for securing the panelto a bathing installation surface, e.g. a spa top side, such as a tubwall surface 10 (FIG. 3 ) with an opening to receive the interfacepanel, and a circuit board 90 mounted within a receptacle 62C formed onthe bottom of the housing structure, as more clearly shown in FIG. 4 .

The assembly 70 includes the cover glass layer 72, typically fabricatedof a high-strength glass such as chemically strengthened glass, and athickness in a range of 3 to4 mm. A touch-sensitive display system 74has a flat planar top surface 74B bonded to the flat planar bottomsurface 72A of the glass layer by optically transparent adhesive. In oneembodiment, the system 74 preferably employs capacitive touchtechnology. In another embodiment, the system 74 employs resistive touchtechnology. Display systems with capacitive and resistive touchtechnology are commercially available.

In an exemplary embodiment, the glass layer 72 is dimensioned to overlaythe entire front-facing area of the housing structure including the topflat surface 62; both the surface 62 and glass layer 72 are nominallythe same length L and width W. In one exemplary embodiment, thedimensions W and L are 4.03 inches and 5.73 inches, respectively. Inanother embodiment, the dimensions W and L are 4.5 inches and 7.27inches, respectively. In other embodiments, different dimensions may beused. The display system 74 includes a ribbon wiring cable 74A with aconnector which connects to the circuit board 90 to supply power anddrive signals.

The housing structure 60 is, in this exemplary embodiment, a unitaryone-piece molded structure including the peripheral flat top surface 62on flange portion 60A, and a recess 64 formed by a floor plate 62A. Abottom receptacle 62C is defined by floor plate 52A and a peripheralwall 62B. The display system 74 is sized to fit into the recess when theassembly 70 is assembled to the housing structure, with a small airspace 64A (FIG. 4 ) between the bottom of the display system and thefloor plate 62A. A narrow slot 66 (FIG. 5 ) is formed through the floorplate 62A, sized to allow the ribbon wiring cable and connector to bepassed through to the circuit board 90. A receptacle 62C is formed byperipheral wall 62B, with a peripheral flange portion 60A (FIG. 4 )extending outwardly and configured to extend over the edge of the tubwall surface 10 when the interface panel is installed in the tub.

In an exemplary embodiment, the recess 64 has width and lengthdimensions W1, L1, respectively. The display system 74 is sized to justfit into the recess, so its dimensions are W1, L1 less respectivetolerances to enable the fit into the recess, or W1′, L1′ (FIG. 6 ).

The active display area of the user interface panel 50 is W1′×L1′, andthe area of the panel top surface is W×L. In an exemplary embodiment,the dimensions are W=4.03 inches, L=5.73 inches, W1′=2.62 inches andL1′=4.33 inches, giving an active display area of 11.34 square inches,in relation to the panel top surface 23.15 square inches. This providesa display to total area ratio of 49%, substantially exceeding thecorresponding ratio of known user interface panels for bathinginstallations. The display to total area ratio in an exemplaryembodiment is at least 30%. In other embodiments, this ratio is at least35%, at least 40%, at least 45% and at least 65%.

An aspect of the panel 50 is that the display system 74 when the panelis mounted in a tub wall is above the top surface of the tub wall. Withthis feature, the size of the display system is not limited to the sizeof the opening in the tub wall. This will be illustrated with respect tothe alternate embodiment described with respect to FIG. 11 below.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate the circuit board assembly 90 in furtherdetail. The assembly includes wiring board 90A, with corner openings 90Bto secure the board to standoffs 62E extending downwardly from the floorplate 62A. Circuit components 94 are mounted to the board 90A; thecomponents include the circuit components to drive the touch-sensitivedisplay system, a connector 94A to connect the board assembly to theribbon cable 74A. A cable 92 extends from the bottom of the board 90A toconnect to a controller for the bathing installation, to receive powerand control signals from the controller.

To allow the interface panel 50 to operate in a bathing installation,the panel is provided with features to resist moisture egress into therecess 64. The gaskets 76 and 80 are fabricated of waterproof materials,and provided with double-sided adhesive tape on upper and lower surfacesto adhere securely to the adjacent surfaces. A suitable gasket may befabricated of 3M VHB tape, for example. To seal the slot 66 in the floorplate 62A after the ribbon cable 74A is passed through it duringassembly, a liquid silicone elastomer is dispensed into the slot to cureand form a seal plug 82 (FIGS. 4 and 5 ). Once the circuit board 90 hasbeen assembled into the lower receptacle 62C formed by peripheral wall62B of the housing, the receptacle is filled with potting compound.

FIGS. 6-10 illustrate progressive steps in an exemplary assembly processfor assembling the panel 50. FIG. 6 is an exploded view, illustratingthe touch-sensitive display panel assembly 70, the housing 60, thegasket 80, seal plug 82 and circuit board 90.

FIG. 7 illustrates the display panel assembly 70 attached to theperipheral flat surface 62 of the housing structure 60 by adhesivegasket 76. The ribbon cable 74A has been passed through the slot 66 inthe floor plate 62A. In FIG. 8 , the gasket 80 has been attached to theperipheral flange surface 62D (FIG. 6 ). FIG. 9 illustrates the stage inthe process in which the seal plug 82 has been dispensed into the slot.In FIG.10, the circuit board has been attached to the standoffs 62E. Thefinal step in the fabrication process is to dispense the pottingmaterial, such as a liquid silicone, into the receptacle to fill theinternal space between the floor plate 62A and the circuit board, and tocover the circuit board 90.

A further feature of the interface panel 50 is the provision of openreceptacles 62F formed in the corners of the peripheral wall 62B. Thereceptacles are configured to receive light emitters, such as LEDs orincandescent lamps. These light emitters may be controlled by thebathing installation controller. The housing 60 may be fabricated of atranslucent material so that the light emitters illuminate theundersurface of the display assembly. Alternatively, the housingstructure may be an opaque material, and the receptacle openings arethrough openings allowing light from the emitters to pass through thehousing structure to the cover glass or display system.

FIG. 11 illustrates an alternate embodiment of an interface panel 50′.In this embodiment, the housing structure 60′ has a peripheral wall 62B′with an identical length and width to that of wall 62B in the firstembodiment, so that the panel 50′ may be fitted into the same diameteropening in the tub wall 10 as the panel 50, yet the active display areaprovided by display system 74′ is much larger. The dimensions of therecess essentially filled by the display system 74′ are enlarged withrespect to those of the recess 62C of the panel 50. In this example, thecorresponding dimensions of panel 50′ are W=7.47 inches, W=4.58 inches,W1′=3.58 inches, L1′=6.29 inches, providing an active display area of22.52 square inches, with an overall panel area of 34.21 square inches.This yields an active display area to total panel area ratio of 65.8%.The thickness of the housing flange is increased in relation to that ofthe panel 50 to allow the recess size to be enlarged, as depicted inFIGS. 4 and 11 , respectively.

In the embodiment of FIG. 11 , the cover glass layer 72′ may be thickerthan that of layer 72 of the panel 50. For example, the thickness ofglass layer 72′ may be 4 mm, while that of glass layer 72 may be 3 mm.Another feature is that the same circuit board assembly 90 may be usedwith either embodiment.

A further embodiment of an interface panel 50″ is illustrated in FIGS.12A-16B. The panel 50″ employs a housing structure 60″, shown inisolation in FIGS. 12A-12D. In contrast to the embodiments of FIGS. 1-11, the housing structure 60″ omits the floor plate 62A, so that an openspace 60C″ is formed within the peripheral wall 62B″ and extendingupwardly to the flange portion 60A″, with an open space portion 60C″-1above the wiring board 90″. Omitting the floor plate permits the pottingmaterial to seal around the display structure, providing a protectionbarrier. The interface panel 50″ can provide as large an active displayarea in relation to the housing structure as the embodiment of FIG. 11 .

The housing structure 60″ in an exemplary embodiment is a unitarystructure and may be injection molded from polycarbonate, ABS and otherthermoplastic resins. The resin may be transparent, translucent oropaque. The housing structure 60″defines integrally formed receptacles62F″ for receiving light sources (not shown) such as LED emitters, toprovide illumination in the case in which the housing structure isfabricated from a translucent or transparent material.

The interface panel 50″ includes a touch-sensitive display assembly 70′which may be the assembly 70′ described above for the embodiment of FIG.11 . The glass layer 72′ is dimensioned to overlay the entirefront-facing area of the housing structure 50″ including the top flatsurface 62″. An adhesive gasket 76″ attaches the display assembly 70′ tothe top flat surface 62″. Another adhesive gasket (not shown) may beused to secure the interface panel 50″ to a bathing installation tubwall, as in the embodiments of FIGS. 1-11 .

The panel 50″ includes a circuit board assembly 90″ assembly, includingwiring board 90A″, with corner openings 90B″ to secure the board tostandoffs 62E″ extending downwardly and integrally formed with theperipheral wall 62B″. Circuit components 94″ are mounted to the board90A″; the components include the circuit components to drive thetouch-sensitive display system, a connector 94A″ to connect the boardassembly to the ribbon cable 74A″. A cable 92″ extends from the board90A″ to connect to a controller for the bathing installation, to receivepower and control signals from the controller. The wiring board 90A″includes one or more openings 90″-A, and is sized so that gaps 62C″-2exist between the peripheral wall 62B″ and the board perimeter 90″-B,which allow the sealant in liquid form dispensed into the panel duringfinal assembly, and with the panel inverted, to flow past the wiringboard and into the open space 62C″-1 (FIG. 14B) between the wiring boardand the touch-sensitive display system. The sealant 96 subsequentlycures to a solid or gelatinous state, to provide protection againstphysical damage and moisture egress to the circuit board assembly 90″and the touch-sensitive display system 70′.

FIGS. 13B and 16B diagrammatically show the interface panel 50″ beforethe sealant has been dispensed into the opening 60C″. The cable 92″ isshown in FIG. 16B but omitted from FIG. 13B.

FIG. 14B is a diagrammatic cutaway view taken along line 14B-14B of FIG.14A, with cross-hatching to show the sealant 96 once the sealant hasbeen dispensed into the opening 60C″ and flowed through and around thewiring board 90″ to file the open space 60C″-1 between the wiring boardand the bottom of the touch sensitive display assembly.

The sealant may, for example, be one of a silicone sealant or an epoxy.

Although the foregoing has been a description and illustration ofspecific embodiments of the subject matter, various modifications andchanges thereto can be made by persons skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A user interface panel for installation in anopening in a wall of a bathing installation and having features toresist moisture egress, the interface panel comprising: a housingstructure defining a peripheral flange portion having a top flangesurface and a bottom flange surface, a peripheral wall extendingdownwardly from the bottom flange surface, the peripheral wall and theperipheral flange portion circumscribing an open region in the housingstructure extending from the top flange surface through the peripheralwall; a touch-sensitive display assembly comprising a cover glass layerconfigured to cover an entire front-facing area of the interface paneland the housing structure, said entire front-facing area including theperipheral flange portion such that the cover glass layer covers theperipheral flange portion, wherein the interface panel has an outerperimeter defined by the cover glass layer, and a touch-sensitivedisplay system having a display surface attached to a lower surface ofthe cover glass layer, the display system sized to fit into the openregion and having an active display area; a circuit board assemblycarrying circuit components configured to drive the display system andto receive signals from the display signals, the circuit board mountedin the lower receptacle and connected to the display system by anelectrical cable; a first adhesive gasket configured to adhere theperiphery of the cover glass area to a top surface of the peripheralflange portion; sealant material disposed into the open region to fillinternal space under the touch-sensitive display assembly, encapsulatingbottom facing surfaces of the touch-sensitive display assembly andencapsulating the circuit board; and wherein the user interface panel isconfigured to support the display system above the surface of the wallof the bathing installation.
 2. The interface panel of claim 1, whereinthe housing structure is an integral one-piece structure fabricated of aplastic material.
 3. The interface panel of claim 1, wherein the displaysystem includes an electrical cable connected to the circuit boardassembly.
 4. The panel of claim 1, further comprising a second adhesivegasket configured to adhere a lower surface of the peripheral flangeportion to the wall surrounding the opening.
 5. The panel of claim 1,wherein the sealant material is formed by a sealant dispensed in liquidform into the open region with the panel inverted, the liquid formcuring to a solid form.
 6. The panel of claim 1, wherein the entirefront-facing area has a length dimension L and a width dimension W, andthe cover glass layer has a length dimension L and a width dimension W,and the respective length and width dimensions of the front-facing areaand the cover glass layer are nominally the same.
 7. The panel of claim1, wherein the cover glass is a chemically strengthened glass having athickness in a range of three to four millimeters.
 8. The panel of claim1, wherein the touch-sensitive display system includes capacitive touchsensing technology.
 9. The panel of claim 1, wherein a ratio of theactive display area to the panel front-facing area exceeds 30%.
 10. Thepanel of claim 1, wherein the housing structure further defines one ormore emitter receptacles for light emitters to illuminate the panel. 11.The panel of claim 10, wherein the housing structure is fabricated of atranslucent material so that light from the one or more emitterreceptacles passes to the cover glass layer.
 12. A user interface panelfor installation in an opening in a wall of a bathing installation andhaving features to resist moisture egress, the interface panelcomprising: a housing structure defining a peripheral flange portionhaving a top flange surface and a bottom flange surface, a peripheralwall extending downwardly from the bottom flange surface, the peripheralwall and the peripheral flange portion circumscribing an open region inthe housing structure extending from the top flange surface through theperipheral wall; wherein the peripheral wall is configured to fit intothe opening in the wall of the bathing installation, and the top-facingrecess has a dimension larger than a dimension of the opening; atouch-sensitive display assembly comprising a cover glass layerconfigured to cover the entire front-facing area of the panel andhousing structure, said entire front-facing area including theperipheral flange portion, and a touch-sensitive display system having adisplay top surface attached to a lower surface of the cover glasslayer, the display system sized to fit into the recess and having anactive display area; wherein the touch-sensitive display system has adimension larger than said dimension of the opening in the bathinginstallation wall, and a ratio of the active display area to the panelfront-facing area exceeds 40%; a circuit board assembly carrying circuitcomponents configured to drive the display system and to receive signalsfrom the display signals, the circuit board mounted in the open regionand connected to the display system by an electrical cable; a firstadhesive gasket configured to adhere the periphery of the cover glassarea to a top surface of the peripheral flange portion; sealant materialdisposed into the open region to fill internal space under thetouch-sensitive display assembly, covering bottom facing surfaces of thetouch-sensitive display assembly and the circuit board; and wherein thehousing structure is configured to position the touch-sensitive displaysystem above the surface of the tub wall.
 13. The panel of claim 12,wherein the entire front-facing area has a length dimension L and awidth dimension W, and the cover glass layer has a length dimension Land a width dimension W, and the respective length and width dimensionsof the front-facing area and the cover glass layer are nominally thesame.
 14. The panel of claim 12, further comprising a second adhesivegasket configured to adhere a lower surface of the peripheral flangeportion to the wall surrounding the opening.
 15. The panel of claim 12,wherein the housing structure further defines one or more emitterreceptacles for light emitters to illuminate the panel.
 16. The panel ofclaim 12, wherein the housing structure is fabricated of a translucentmaterial so that light from the one or more emitter receptacles passesto the cover glass layer.
 17. The panel of claim 12, wherein a ratio ofthe active display area to the panel front-facing area exceeds 50%. 18.The panel of claim 12, wherein a ratio of the active display area to thepanel front-facing area exceeds 65%.
 19. The panel of claim 12, whereinthe touch-sensitive display system includes capacitive touch sensingtechnology.
 20. The interface panel of claim 12, wherein the housingstructure is an integral one-piece structure fabricated of a plasticmaterial.